That's Fit

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Are you aware? I am, as I look at my husband's left hand, fresh out of surgery to remove a squamous cell cancer, in all of its stitched and bandaged glory. I am aware when I look at my pale, pale skin and attempt to cover up as much as possible before heading out into the blazing Florida sun. I am aware when I lather my blond-headed little boys with sunscreen, hide in the shade at my neighborhood pool, and think back to all the skin cancer-y spots my grandma was forever having frozen off her her aging body. I've had a few frozen myself. And my sister just last year had two basal cell cancers carved right out of her chest. Her scars are constant reminders of summers spent basking on the beach.

Skin cancer should not be taken lightly, no matter how strongly you believe the disease won't happen to you. Of all the cancers out there, you might think this one is no big deal. You'd be wrong. Just ask Miss Melanoma who lost a toe because a mole on her foot turned up as melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Ask anyone battling the disease and fighting off death. There were an estimated 59,940 new melanoma cases in the U.S. in 2007 and 250,000 cases of squamous cells carcinomas, the second most common type of skin cancer. Basal cell cancer, the most common form, strikes one million people each year.

Skin cancer should alarm you. Because if left undetected, it can kill you. Awareness is key. So do you part this month. And every month. Inform yourself. Your family. Your friends. All the information you need -- how to prevent it, how to detect it, how to treat it -- can be found right here at The Skin Cancer Foundation.

There's a prize every day in May at this Women's Health magazine online stop. Today's giveaway is a Forerunner 405 watch from Garmin International. Tomorrow: A Cranium Wow board game from Hasbro. All you Boomers looking to boost that brain of yours -- this is your day!

Women's Health has the hottest fitness, weight-loss, beauty, and tech gear around. There's an E80 elliptical machine from SportsArt Fitness (May 12), a KB720 five-speed blender from Krups (May 23), a set of barbecue accessories from The Pampered Chef, (May 25), and an Endurance Skort from Moving Comfort (May 27). This month's calendar is stocked with goods. They can be yours by simply entering a drawing each day in May. But hurry. Each drawing lasts for only 24 hours.

Click here to get started.

May is the best time to buy cookware, says Hugh Rushing, executive vice president of the Cookware Manufacturers Association. It's when retailers temporarily mark down prices in time for wedding and college graduation season. May is just around the corner. Ready. Set. Shop.

If you can't make it happen in May, October and November are your next affordable options. Holiday promotions kick in during these months. Any other time of the year? Forget it. Prices typically won't budge.

Mark your calendars for February and March if you're in the market for a bike or outdoor gear. This is when the season's new models come out and stores want to replace their fall and winter inventory.

For more scoop on the best time to buy -- airline tickets, big appliances, cars, mattresses -- take a stroll through this article.